peter monahan

This popped up on another site and I was intrigued.  Can any member comment on the identification, which was: "Tunesian Order of Nichan Iftikhar Grand Cross breast star Ali Bey 1882", given without sources or explanation.  I encouraged it's owner to contact us here, as I believe some members may be interested but hasten to add that I have no dog in this fight. 

Several decades ago I met a chap who collected enamelled European orders 'becuase they look so nice' and kept them in an old medecin cabinet, velvet lined and with the mirror replaced by clear glass, which hung on his livingroom wall. 

These are 'pretty' enough to earn the same treatment, aside from their historical and numismatic interest and value! Gorgeous, Rusty. 

6 hours ago, heusy68 said:

patience pays

Indeed!  Good luck with the continued hunt for an example of your own, as I suspect they must be fairly uncommon.  Any idea why this recipient got the award? 

The only time I was in Burkina Faso - 35 years ago - many of the senior police officials in the former French colonies - 'Haute Volta' as it was then, Chad, & Niger - were Frenchmen,  many apparently on secondment from the Army.  And on my only visit to Paris, in 2015, I ran across a very large group of African police officers from those countries, presumably there on a course, so I wonder if there are still close ties between the French and Franco-African police forces.

Peter

Veeery nice!  A medal which doesn't turn up all that often.

Gorgeous!  And obviously kept with loving care, or beautifully restored.  I would love to own such a piece of history which is also so asthetically pleasing - at least to a person of my perhaps odd tatstes!

'They also serve who only sit and wait.'? 

You're right, of course.  Most armies most places don't do much but wait and train and wait and train and wait and wait and wait.

Sadly, it was the case as long ago as the 1990s that a significant percentage of the 'WWII German' badges, particularly the rarer ones but even many common issues, were outright fakes, had been assembeled after the war from genuine parts or were in some other way 'not as advertised.'  I don't know nearly enough to guess what % of today's items fall into these categories but I would be very very careful were I to start collecting in this field.

21 hours ago, SemperParatus said:

What's the Latvian equivalent of Sausage and Sauerkraut?

Not sure.  And not very interested in finding out!  Does that make me a bad person?

On 9/14/2017 at 09:35, SemperParatus said:

This mess dress thing is not as worrisome as the trend in Canada of emergency services being granted Colours.

I have to agree.  I wasn't able to read the scrolls on the Winnipeg Police flag but one wonders what a police force would consider a 'battle honour'.  In their case, I hope it doesn't include the infamous general Strike of 1919!   Colours seem a very odd affectation for what is now a 'paramilitary' organization only in the loosest sense.  Flashier uniforms I can understand but this is just odd!

Thanks, Lawrence!  I should have scrolled up before asking.  On a related note, how would YOU feel about being part of 'Operation Reassurance' ?

'We don't actually get to fight, but we do try hard to make people feel comfortable.'  Or is that just too cynical for words?

Aren't they always thrilled when we show up with our treasures?  Mine is!

And our men and women now in the Baltic?  Do they get something shiny as well?

Interesting.  Would their experience have been typical of German POWs or was there some special reason this unit was robbed in this fashion?

Like the now infamous swastika, the fasces have a long and generally proud hsitory. 

In Roman times, and presumably in the minds of the Belgian Army, they make a nice visual shorthand for 'We enforce the law.', a perfectly logical motto for a military court, especially one with the power of life and death. 

Mussolini and his ilk, of course, emphasized the 'force' at the expense of 'law' but that does not completely negate the historical precedents and meaning.

I hear what you're saying about well intentioned government biologists!  Up here, a few years ago, the 1,000 animal herd of Wood Buffalo, in a park the size of Rhode Island, got brucellosis from ranchers' cattle.  Gov't solution?  Wipe them all out, start over with 'pure animals'.  Really, guys?  And if you miss just one...?  'Oh, we won't.'

It also sounds as if 'taboo' is the anthropological equivalent of the archaeologists 'ritual object' - 'We have no freaking idea what this does/is fo, so we'll call it religious, 'cause religion is mysterious!'  I assume from your comments that you DO speak at least one local language, which I would have assumed was more or less a requirement for serious field work.  I taught for 2 years, with our version of the Peace Corps, in Nigeria.  In English, one of the 4 official languages there, but could just barely feed myself and get gas for my bike once off the beaten track.  Can't imagine discussing anything of substance without some command of the local bhat.  In fact, our local missionaries, had 30 years in country and their greatest asset was a colloquial knowledge of Hausa, the local lingua franca.    

A great story!  And he was from Beeton, just down the road from my home in Alliston.  A couple local boys joined the Cyclists, who often did duty in towns, helping the MPs direct traffic and man check points, so his police experience would have proved useful, though the bicycles themsleves were less of a success.

'A good cop'!

 I'd call it 'grey-green', myself, but I'm no artist!

I see what you mean about the comparativce sizes of the cap badge and the helmet plate!  As I say, my research was sketchy at best.

Lovely photos, BTW.  I assume and hope that they are part of the TPD museum's collection.

P 

Two badges I picked up some time ago.  My minimal research suggests that they were worn on the helmet and perhaps also on the first peaked caps, sometime between the 1880s and the 1920s.  One is complet, the other missing the central device.  The second was clearly painted black at one time as well. 

I am always fascinated and impressed when an expert expounds on his or her speciality.  I would have assumed that wood points were used, as you say, because they were readily replaceable but not being a bow hunter would not have made the leap to 'things that get away'.  On the same note, notched points for monkeys make sense.  I assume that the hunters track the animal, even if the arrow is recovered, till it dies?  

The harpoon for caiman is quite similar to some of the similar implements used for seal and narwhale by Canadian indigenous groups.  Parallel evolution works for tools as well as animals!

A truly lovely thing!  Thanks for sharing.  I have seen the photos from the '50s and recall wondering about the unifroms - in great shape for the 40 year old souvenirs of a defeated army, I thought, but I know nothing of French uniforms and didn't pursue the thought.  Glad to see an expert such as yourself chime in on them.

Peter

Cool!  I have a friend who is an archaeologist [and Biblical scholar] who did all his digs in the Middle East - Lebanon and Israel  - andf he had wonderful stories of the 'ancient coins' one can buy there.  "Oh, wait, effendi.  Let me get you a resh one from the back.' 

But I believe these items - 'ushabti', apparently - are common enough that they're not worth faking.  I look at those and the occasional bronze arrowhead with lust from time to time but have so far resisted the urge.  Please post more pics when you can.

I showed this to a couple of people, who all oowed and ahhed over it.  Not, however, without noting that the whole 'reproduction' thing is a minefield when one goes back a century. 

A good friend makes quality reproduction uniforms, many of them French Imperial, for museums and historical units world wide and some of his efforts have found their way onto the market as 'authentic'.  They're not, of course, and there are ways to tell - he typically machine stitches anything not visible when a coat is in wear, for example, but not everyone is as savvy or a shonest as The Armoury. 

Welcome to the GMIC, Stalker.  And thank you for the identification.  Given that you read Russian, you could become a popular guy here!

Rick, that's a stunner!  Thanks for posting it.

Peter

Cheers, Megan.. I knew you'd know.  And Happy New Year.